Abstract

The pelagic fishes live most part of their life in the surface or subsurface waters. This group exhibits
rich species diversity and abundance in the Indian EEZ. Though 240 species constitute the pelagic fisheries
along the Indian coast, it is only about 60 species belonging to 8 groups support major fisheries (Table1).
During the last decade, pelagic finfishes contributed to 46-56% (average: 51%) of the total marine fish
production, of which almost 70% was fished from within the 50 m depth zone